بِسْــــــــــــــــــــــمِ اﷲِارَّحْمَنِ ارَّحِيم
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
Milk based pudding called M'halbi are popular Ramadan dessert throughout the arabic world from the shores of North Africa to the deserts of the Middle East.
Muhaleebi is rice pudding scented with rose water. In the ninth century, during the Abbasia period of the Arab empire, Muhaleeb, chief commander of the army, had a stomachache. His doctor prescribed a soft diet of rice powder cooked in milk and sugar. Since then it has been called Muhaleebi (after Muhaleeb) and has been passed down through the generation, until the present time as dessert during Ramadan because of its soothing effect. In made its variant— milk thickened with cornstarch (not rice), which was really light on the stomach and very good to eat when one was fasting.
Muhaleebi is rice pudding scented with rose water. In the ninth century, during the Abbasia period of the Arab empire, Muhaleeb, chief commander of the army, had a stomachache. His doctor prescribed a soft diet of rice powder cooked in milk and sugar. Since then it has been called Muhaleebi (after Muhaleeb) and has been passed down through the generation, until the present time as dessert during Ramadan because of its soothing effect. In made its variant— milk thickened with cornstarch (not rice), which was really light on the stomach and very good to eat when one was fasting.
And in Algeria, Ramadan is not complete without M'halbi on the table. It is also known as Roz bel haleeb, Muhaleebi, Muhalabiya , Muhalabiyeh, Krima, flan à la crème de riz, or créme dessert au riz depending what region you are in Algeria. In some here in Algeria regions, this dessert is still held true to its orginal preparation scented with rose water or jasmine water. Give this recipe a try - I promise it super easy and will become a welcomed addition on your Ramadan table too!
M'halbi
Algerian almond rice pudding
active prep time: 5 mins | inactive prep time: 0 mins| cook time: 10 -15mins
6 servings
FOR THE PUDDING:
- 50g of rice powder
- 3 tablespoons maizena (cornstarch, cornflour)
- 1 liter - 4 cups of milk
- pinch fo cinnamon
- 1 packet of vanilla sugar OR 1 tsp halal vanilla flavouring
- 3 tablespoon of sugar(or honey)
- 2 tablespoons orange flower water
- 50g - 1 tsp ground almonds
FOR THE DECORATION:
- pistachios
- almonds
- sultana
- dates
- cinnamon
POUR the milk into a heavy bottom pot.
PLACE the corn starch in a cup, add a little water (about 2-3 tablespoons to disolve it.
NOW add in the remaining ingredients into the pot.
BRING the milk to boil.
PLACE the corn starch in a cup, add a little water (about 2-3 tablespoons to disolve it.
NOW add in the remaining ingredients into the pot.
BRING the milk to boil.
REDUCE the fire to a simmer, then allow the pudding to cook and thicken.
STIR constantly until it is thick. Keep your eyes on the pudding or it will burn.
POUR into cups or bowls once thick.
DECORATE as desired.
ALLOW 30 minutes to set and cool before serving.
Make it yourself
Rice powders and rice flours can be quite expensive, but following these easy steps you can made it home for a fraction of the price.
Subsitution
You can easily subsitute almond, coconut or even any other non-dairy milk in this dessert recipe.
desserts, Ramadan, Algerian sweet
What do you like to serve for suhour during Ramadan and other times when fasting?
Please share your Ramadan recipes and traditions in the comments below.
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